It's not talked about
often but some women are seriously addicted to exercise, or compulsive exercise
addiction. It's when you take working out to a whole new level and your
workouts run your day.
Now as a woman who used
to workout multiple times a day for several hours this is my problem, but I
have a great support group that helps keep me on track. So why do some women
become addicted to their exercise routines?
For some it's a desire
to have control over their weight and shape, for some it's as if the world will
fall apart if they don't workout and for others, they are looking to get a
workout "high".
But it really doesn't matter the reason, being
addicted to exercise is not a good thing. It can be bad psychologically and
physiologically. For example, when I was in college and dealing with anorexia
and exercise addition I ended up breaking my wrist while riding my bike.
I was
biking because I was trying to heal shin splints at the same time. Well, with
my wrist in a cast, I had no choice to start running again even though I knew
my shins were in bad shape. To make a long story short, they turned in to
stress fractures and I had my leg in an air cast while my wrist was in a cast.
Do you think it stopped me? Nope, I just started on the elliptical for less
stress on my leg. Sad, I know.
So what helped me?
When
I got tired of my workouts and my diet running my life. Enough was enough and I
knew that since I was hiding stuff from my friends and family that I had a
problem.
What constitutes
exercise going overboard?
Exercise addicts allow
their workout plans to run their lives. Over family, friends, work, etc...
workouts come first. There is no exception: More really is better. If there is
more free time then that means more time to train. Nothing holds them back. It
doesn't matter if they are tired, sick, injured... they will find a way to
workout.
So, how am I today? I
admit that I get very anxious if I miss a workout. But I don't have the need to
workout every single day. I do have a strict workout routine that I follow and
if I get thrown off than I find a way to get that workout in! But overall, I
never workout more than 4-5 days a week and I never workout for longer than an
hour.
Taylor Ryan is the
"women's trainer" with her weight training for women site, The Art Of
Weight Lifting to give fat burning workouts, muscle toning programs and more to
help you hit your fitness and weight loss goals. Get all the help you need,
including nutrition to make a healthy lifestyle and not just another failed
attempt to get in shape.
The bad news is not all
of gentlemen are lucky enough to have such a sculpted body. First of all, we
might not be fortunate enough in terms of 'genetic lottery'. You know, when it
comes to genes we inherit from our parents, no one can protest in any possible
way. Whether our genes are good are bad, we have no option but deal with the
reality.
Some men are lucky
enough to inherit handsome faces from his father, or inherit the high level
body metabolism which makes them less likely to become obese.That's the lovely
side but what if your dad gives you 'dark' genes that makes you gain weight
easier? Or genes that causes your body height increases slower than your peers?
Well, I'd say you have to make peace with yourself because the harder you push
yourself the more you'll get hurt.
Secondly, most of us
are not able to have enough time and tools needed to keep ourselves fit. It is
perhaps the most frequently mentioned excuse but it holds true for people whose
daily activities are not related to physical jobs. If you're working 8 hours a
day and going into overtime hours after that, no one wouldn't be that surprised
to see your beer belly that stores pounds of fats.
But do you know that
most men nowadays think that having an athletic figure is a must? Probably you
and I are some of those men but hold that thought. Let me tell you an
astounding fact that men are now swept away by a wave called 'athletica
nervosa'. This is a new term coined by media to refer to a type of anxiety that
men commonly have by exercising excessively at gyms. And this is what i just
read on a site:
"Men who regularly
read 'lads' magazines' are increasingly obsessive about their body image
resulting in them doing excessive exercise and possibly taking steroids to
improve their physique, according to a study by University of Winchester
psychologist Dr David Giles."
'Lads' magazines here
are magazines that are usually read by men and boys and most of the content is
about how to stay healthy, lean, fit, and of course how to grow more muscles.
But I think it's not only 'lads' magazines that endorse the importance of
muscular physique. If we are sensitive enough, we'll notice recently there are
more and more young, good-looking, muscular male models being featured on TV
commercials, banners, ads in magazines, even clothing catalogs (which were
assumed to be quite girlie in the past). It may be just a coincidence but I
don't think that way.
What strikes me most is
that this apparently starts to infect our kids! You can call me a hyperbolic
liar but after you read this, you won't. A 5-year-old infant named Giuliano
Stroe in Italy has started to become a fitness freak after he regularly
accompanied his dad exercising at a local gym.
All these things seem
to lead to a complete insanity. And what is initially meant to be an endeavor
to get healthier and fitter proves to be a misleading campaign for instant
muscularity. Some men who are not patient enough in the journey resort to a
shortcut. This shortcut is called steroid. As we know that using steroid is no
good especially in the long run.
So is having muscular
physique really worth it? Or is it just another mirage men have been tricked
into? Being unsatisfied with our appearance is humane and everyone experiences
that. But being too much worried about what image people can have in their mind
about us is somewhat ridiculous. Gentlemen, in my humble opinion, we should
choose health over muscularity. If we're exercising, we must focus more on
being healthier, so as to be able to function normally at work and in
household. When ego has taken over our sanity, however, we're more likely to
get drowned by the endless competition of enlarging biceps, showing off six
packs, or how to get larger pectoral muscles.
In the past decades
we've already bombarded with a series of news about women developing anorexia
nervosa and then dying afterwards. Now men are dealing with the same plague. We
now see more women are rebelling against the 'slim is beautiful' dogma. Some of
these ladies (who are not as skinny as those female models) are compellingly
successful and set their own trends as they appreciate their body figure more
than before. It's OK to be plump or a bit obese but as long as they take
themselves as they are, nothing is ever problem.
Women have shown their
resistance against the 'slimmer is always better' proposition and what about
men? Can men have the audacity to say NO to 'beefier is always better'
proposition? Ask ourselves.
A recent study
concluded that regular exercise reduces the motivation for taking drugs. This
should actually come as no surprise - exercise has already been proven to
reduce anxiety and depression, two of the major reasons why a person might
start taking drugs (or alcohol) in the first place, and continue using them
until they need a drug addiction treatment center to quit. However, it might be
a different story with prescription drug addiction.
The test began by
keeping one group of rats in cages with wheels and the other in cages without
wheels for six weeks. The group with wheels got up to the point of running 10
kilometers a day and the others got no exercise at all.
After six weeks,
cocaine dispensers were put in the cages. The rats had to press levers to get
the cocaine, and the number of presses needed was continually increased. The
exercised rats stopped trying when they had to press 70 times to get a hit,
while the unexercised rats kept going until the lever needed to be pressed 250
times. Also, the rats who had exercised the most quit trying sooner.
Why is prescription
drug addiction different? First of all, the rats were not made to take the
drug.
Many people who end up
with a prescription drug addiction problem aren't fully aware that they had a
choice of whether to take the drug or not. They had an illness, injury,
operation or emotional trauma, or they have a problem with chronic back pain or
something similar, or were just feeling generally unhappy. They went to their
doctor, were prescribed their 'medicine, and dutifully followed their doctor's
orders.
In the case of a
short-term problem - like taking painkillers after an operation - there's a
good chance they might not continue pressing the lever after the prescribed
length of treatment, let's say a week or two. However, if they were already depressed,
anxious or had other things going on that predisposed them to addiction,
'feeling no pain' for a couple of weeks might motivate them to take the drug
longer and eventually wind up with a prescription drug addiction.
If they're suffering
from chronic pain, anxiety or depression - longer term problems - there's a
good chance the doctor will prescribe a longer course of the drug. That will
almost invariably lead to a physical dependency and they'll have trouble
quitting. Also, if they experienced any relief from their symptoms with the
drugs, they're likely to confuse the side effects of withdrawal with a return
of their original symptoms and figure they still need their medicine. In many
cases, the longer course of treatment is more likely to result in prescription
drug addiction than the shorter course.
When the problem
becomes prescription drug addiction, rather than dependency, is hard to say:
addiction involves a complex set of factors.
However, for all
intents and purposes, the result is the same - they can't get off the
prescription drugs without the help of a drug addiction treatment center. How
much treatment they'll need depends on whether the problem is prescription drug
addiction or if it is just physical dependency.
How could this have been
avoided? In the case of short-term severe pain, the answer it to quit the drug
as soon as possible. With longer-term conditions, there are drug-free
alternatives. Chronic physical pain can sometimes be addressed with
chiropractic, physical therapy or acupuncture, or with vitamins and minerals
that are natural painkillers or help relieve inflammation.
Emotional problems can
also often be handled with the right alternative treatments and, yes, by
getting on the wheel. Far less than 10 kilometers a day can get results.
Many doctors are aware
of the potential for prescription drug addiction, and they realize that some
drugs only relieve symptoms - they don't get at the cause of the problem.
Consequently, more doctors are prescribing non-drug alternatives. If your
doctor isn't one of them, consider educating him. Or, switch to a doctor whose
advice won't result in you checking into a drug addiction treatment center in
the future to handle a problem that's worse than you had in the first place -
prescription drug addiction.
Gloria MacTaggart is a
freelance writer that contributes articles on health.
To be perfectly honest
we could all stand to be a bit more healthy, particularly when it comes to
getting exercise. There is, however, a point when a good, healthy habit turns
into a harmful addiction that is actually doing damage to the person with the addiction
instead of improving their life.
What Is Exercise
Addiction?
At it's most basic,
exercise addiction is a behavioral addiction, but it really stems from body
image issues that can drive the afflicted to push their exercise regime past
the point where it's healthy and beneficial to where it can have lasting
long-term destructive effects on the body of the person.
While the point at
which exercise moves from healthy habit to harmful addiction will vary from
person to person, the standard for the shift is when exercising starts having a
detrimental effect on the addicts life, including having an impact on their
body, mind, work, and social interactions. Whereas a person with a healthy
exercise routine will skip a session if work or their personal life impedes
their ability to exercise, an addict will eschew work or social interactions
just to work out, and will actually have withdrawal symptoms if something
prevents them from exercising.
Effects of Exercise
Addiction
Unlike addictions to
things like drugs or even alcohol and gambling, the ramifications for exercise
addiction are different because the addiction can easily progress to dangerous
levels before being noticed. In addition to avoiding social and professional
obligations in an effort to exercise more, those afflicted with exercise
addiction also face real health problems associated with the disease.
While a healthy work
out schedule factors in time to let the body recover from the activity, those
with an addiction will not only push their bodies past the point of exhaustion
within their work out, but will not allow their bodies to recover from the work
out before doing another one, which can cause damage to muscle and joint
tissue. In addition to damage to joints and muscles, lack of sleep and eating
disorders are also closely related to exercise addiction as the addict will not
take in the nutrients they need or get a healthy nights sleep.
Treatment
Treating exercise
addiction is much like treating an addiction to gambling, as both are focused
on the release of endorphins within the brain. While there are no medications
approved for the treatment of exercise addiction, exposure and response
prevention treatments are the most popular way to help those with the
addiction. Those with both an exercise and eating disorder will often receive
treatment concurrently since the conditions are often linked and treating them
both allows the mental health professional to get to the root of the problem.
If you or somebody you
know has an exercise addiction, the best thing you can do for yourself or your
friend is to have them reach out to a professional that specializes in
behavioral addictions before they do irreparable damage to their bodies.
Aiden Owens has battled
his own addictions, including a gambling addiction [http://www.nongambler.com]
that pushed him to visit Williamsville Wellness, a leading Virginia substance
abuse treatment center. To learn more about Williamsville Wellness and how they
can help you with your addictions, visit them online at: WilliamsvilleWellness.com.
This week, Bulletproofbodies with be looking at Exercise & Addiction.
We assume that exercise can be a positive addiction, as you replace one habit with another. However, Exercise-addiction will be covered later this week.
Habitual tobacco use,
irregular and insufficient exercise, regular intake of alcoholic beverages
above a minimal amount, being overweight for one's height, and sleeping less
than 7 hours per day are linked to poor health.
This observation was
promulgated by public health researchers in the early 1980's who studied
thousands of individuals living in the Western United States over several
years. These particular habits were singled out because of data that had
already linked regular cigarette smoking, sedentary life style habits,
non-engagement in regular exercise, habitual intake of alcohol more than 2
drinks per day, and obese body habitus with premature aging, illness, and
premature death. Inadequate sleep was added because of its association with
body stresses and persistence of internal elevations in cortisol and adrenalin
production.
Consequently, being
intentional and deliberate with wise choices regarding these Five Health Habits
was recommended. Let's take a look.
Tobacco Use.
Cigarette
smoking, cigar smoking, and pipe smoking are pleasurable and often socially
engaging for individuals. Tobacco leaves are cultivated, harvested, and then
carefully processed in commercial factories with pleasure as the goal. Yet, all
tobacco releases toxic chemicals when burned. Inhalation of these toxic
chemicals directly irritates respiratory tissues and perpetrates inflammatory
tissue responses and consequent damage. A direct result is progressive
bronchial and lung scarring as well as various cancers throughout our bodies.
These include kidney cancer, bladder cancer, and gastrointestinal cancers as
well as mouth, tongue, throat and respiratory cancers. With no uncertainty,
habitual tobacco use perpetrates disease and perpetuates multiple chronic
illnesses that directly lead to death.
Alcohol Ingestion.
Ethyl alcohol is the result of bacterial fermentation of fruit sugars. Wine has
ancient origins and the deliberate fermentation of grapes was an organized
process in ancient cultures, serving a positive purpose of begetting a liquid
beverage which did not support microbe life. In ancient times, wine was a
healthy alternative to river and lake water, well water, and even rain water.
Excess ingestion however, did produce intoxication with delirium and did
perpetrate chronic illnesses though specifics were not realized in those
centuries. We now know that ethyl alcohol oxidizes various organ cells,
producing inflammation and eventual cell death. The liver and nervous system
are particularly negatively affected. In the present era, alcoholic beverage
production is commercially productive and its purchase and ingestion is
fettered only by age requirements. Alcholic beverages are produced from various
fruits and grains now with many different flavors and appeals. Ethyl alcohol
internal organ injuries though are epidemic and include direct injury to the
liver (alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis), to esophageal and stomach cells
(inflammation, ulcers, and cancer), and to the central and peripheral nervous
system (delirium, hallucinations, cell death, memory loss, dependence, chronic
anxiety, major depression, numbness, impaired balance sensations, pain).
Alcohol can induce progressive heart disease known as an alcoholic
cardiomyopathy, which results in heart failure. Regular alcohol ingestion is
clearly harmful, hazardous, and lethal.
Being Obese.
Obesity
has a clear definition. Overweight status is defined as Body Mass Index of
25-30 kg of body weight per square meter of body height. Obesity is defined as
BMI greater than 30 kg body weight/square meter of height. Optimal body weight
is now stated to reside at Body Mass Index of 19-24 kg/square meter of height.
BMI calculators exist in doctors' offices, dietitians' offices, clinics,
hospitals, schools, pharmacies, and on various web sites. Obesity elevates
blood pressure, makes tissues resistant to insulin and thus causes diabetes
mellitus, contributes to progressive atherosclerosis, and overloads one's heart
and lungs. Obesity aggravates other serious health conditions, too, such as
emphysema, coronary heart disease, arthritic conditions, co-existing diabetes
and hypertension. Deliberate weight reduction of more than 10 percent can
result in measurable health benefits. With no uncertainty, obesity induces new
illness and compounds existing illnesses.
Inadequate Exercise.
A
habit of regular exercise will counter a propensity to obesity. Regular
exercise burns calories, stimulates healthy circulation, strengthens one's
heart, stimulates deep breathing, and generally offsets stress. Exercise
cleanses tissues of metabolic waste accumulations by promoting blushing
circulation through the organs, particularly to muscles, skin, and nervous
system. Exercise that is graded, balanced, regular, and without injury is
nothing but health promoting and wellness supporting. Walking 20 minutes per
day 5 days a week can be adequate.
Inadequate Sleep.
All
creatures have circadian rhythms: awake periods and sleep periods. Sleep rests
organs and tissues and reduces stress. Sleep must be sufficient in time so that
organ rest and restoration can occur. Essential aspects of regular sleep-wake
cycles include lower cortisol secretion, lower adrenalin production, lower
blood pressures, reduced insulin production, and general cell rest. Antioxidant
cleansing of organ cells and our blood vessel walls occurs during sleep
periods. Sleep rejuvenates tissues and restores healthy chemical balances.
Short sleep results in adrenalin and cortisol surges that stimulate blood
pressure elevations. Oxidation stresses surge also and tissue fatigue results.
Regular short sleep periods yields accelerated aging, elevates blood pressure,
and strains nervous functions. These consequences compound existing diseases
and impair mental alertness and social behaviors. Circadian rhythms key off of
light-dark cycles and are innate to our inner biological functions. Overriding
one's natural innate circadian rhythm has been proven to promote health
deterioration. With certainty, inadequate sleep can aggravate existing
illnesses and weaken resistances to infectious diseases and cancers.
Thus, it is logical and
rational that these Five Health Variables be groups as Essential Health
Intentions and Health Habits. The intent is to drive wise choices.
Indeed, the national
Centers for Disease Control has strongly recommended intentional cultivation
and right-maintenance of these Five Health Habits:
Adequate Exercise 5
days a week;
Abstaining from Direct
Tobacco Use and Avoiding Secondary Tobacco Smoke;
Abstaining from
Alcoholic Beverages or drinking only small amounts infrequently;
Maintaining one's Body
Mass Index between 19-24 kg/square meter, and
Sleeping 7 or more
hours per day.
These are personal
choices. Awareness is essential. Willful planning and commitment with personal
diligence is essential. I encourage all to make these Personal Habits.
Rex Mahnensmith, MD is
a physician who serves as a General Internist in the practice of Primary Care
for all individuals who elect health care. He is especially interested in
preventative medicine, health maintenance, wellness, and healthy choices for
living. He serves individuals with chronic illnesses as well as those with no
illness. He aims to help individuals to know and to make healthy choices in all
circumstances.
Athletes, some special
forces and the military are a few of the groups in our society that are
considered the elite when it comes to body strength and form.
In their line of
work, they need to be in top form if they want to achieve even a measure of
success.
When it comes to the proper training, coaches and gym instructors recommend
only one thing and that is CrossFit.
What is CrossFit?
CrossFit training is
the crossing or incorporation of different workout types for the purpose of
maximizing the exercise.
It includes strength training, muscle training,
balance and endurance testing and aerobics. It is an immensely intensive
workout that should be done only by pros.
This can be dangerous for beginners
who have not yet developed enough stamina and endurance.
According to CrossFit,
the best body workout is to not focus on developing just one area.
Instead
focus on the entire body. Their exercise routines utilize gymnastics rings,
kettlebells, free weights and a lot of other calisthenics exercises. CrossFit
athletes run, skip, climb ropes, row, jump, and carry huge objects.
Their training
program is so effective that it is used as the main conditioning and strength
program for tactical operations teams, police academies, martial artists, and
hundreds of professional athletes around the world.
This means that only the
best and the most elite in the field of sports and physical fitness are using
CrossFit.
The training program
can be excruciating but the results are well worth it. They surpass all other
forms and types of exercise.
The intensity of the workout boosts the body's
metabolism and shocks the muscles. This keeps the body on fight mode and does
not allow it to settle and get comfortable.
This is because it has been found
that once your body gets accustomed to a workout routine it starts to respond
differently and effectiveness of the routine decreases.
The variety that
CrossFit offers prevents this from happening.
Keeping healthy and fit
is not an easy thing to do that's why we have medical professionals to help us
identify our weaknesses and strengths through checking vital signs.
If you
would like to be part of the medical profession, be trained at one of the best
schools that offers nursing degree and other courses.
Regardless of your body
type or the type of training that your body responds to best, hybrid muscle
training is all around, the most effective way to build muscle and get lean.
Often times, guys ask me how hybrid training carries over into sports. Well,
regardless of the sport, hybrid muscle training can help you be at the top of
your game.
But did you know that
there are also sports that by their very nature help you develop hybrid muscle?
Actually, any sport that simultaneously incorporates resistance and cardio can
be considered a hybrid activity. There are a number of sports that do
this-let's talk about some of them now.
American Football:
This is a
phenomenal sport that incorporates hybrid muscle training. The heavy pads
provide resistance and with the all the cardio that is involved in the sport,
it helps build type III or hybrid muscle. Other aspects of football that
involve hybrid training include blocking and training with sleds during
practice. All of these are activities that require endurance (the cardio part)
and the muscles to deliver sustained strength (the resistance part).
If you have any doubt
that football is an awesome hybrid training technique that can build a
powerful, muscular physique just look at guys like Adrian Peterson, Terrell
Owens or retired stars like Herschel Walker. All three have amazing
physiques-and it all is the result of hybrid muscle training.
Strongman:
This is
really is all about hybrid muscle training. Unlike say powerlifting where the
goal is to achieve your one-rep max, strongman training simultaneously requires
both strength and endurance. And as you know, the best way to develop these qualities
is through hybrid training. Examples of hybrid training activities that you see
in strongman competitions include the tire flip, log carrying, truck pulling
and the keg toss, among others.
And if you have any
doubt that strongman training won't build a powerful, muscular physique, just
take one look at Mariusz Pudzianowski and believe me, you'll eat your words.
Mixed Martial Arts
(MMA):
This one also incorporates hybrid muscle training-in fact, it's
essential. Look at the guys fighting in the UFC. Do you think jogging ten miles
a day carries over into the octagon and is going to help a guy get in shape for
fight? No-two minutes into the match and he'll be winded.
Why? Because the
successful fighters have developed hybrid type III muscle that has strength,
power and endurance. They need to develop long, sustainable strength. You don't
get that from ordinary training. When these guys train they have to mimic the
moves they'll be doing in the octagon-grappling, pulling and other things that
go on in a real fight. Guys like Ken Shamrock, Matt Hughes and Randy Couture
all have developed hybrid, type III muscle.
Highland games:
Seriously, this is about as hybrid as it gets. Have you ever seen these events?
Some of the hybrid training activities you'll encounter in Highland games
include the 56-pound shot put, the hammer throw with a 22-pound round metal
ball attached to a handle, or the caber toss. This would have to be the
signature event for the Highland games. The caber is a tapered log or pole that
varies in height (roughly 19′-22′) and weight (100-130 pounds). They lift it,
run with it and then heave it.
Lumberjack games:
You've probably seen these on TV before. These games require participants to
carry out feats of strength and endurance using extremely large and heavy logs.
This one is 100% hybrid.
Arm wrestling:
Your
probably wouldn't have thought of this one but yes, arm wrestling is most
definitely a sport that incorporates hybrid activities. After all, it does
require long-or sustained strength-and the only way to get that is through
hybrid training.
Track & field:
Besides the running, you've also got activities like the shot put and the
javelin throw. Both of these are activities that require both strength and
endurance.
Kettlebell
competitions:
Kettlebells have been around a long time. Their shape and handles
make them ideal for hybrid training. Some of the activities you'll see here
that require long strength include the clean and snatch or the one- or
two-armed kettlebell swing, among others.
CrossFit Competitions:
These are the kinds of routines that are often touted as the
"military" workouts so you'll often see military and law enforcement
guys participating in these events. Nearly all of the activities require
strength and endurance.
So there you have my
response to the question about how hybrid muscle training carries over into
sports. As you can see, not only does hybrid training and the development of
type III muscle fibers enhance your athletic performance in many sports some
sports are even hybrid in their nature.
Get my free report
entitled, The Warrior Physique - Building The Super Hybrid Muscle. Click to
learn how you can rapidly build muscle and burn fat at the same time.
Mike Westerdal is the
founder of Critical Bench, Inc. A free online weight training magazine.
